Aspen knocked out by Faith

An inspired Aspen team dominated No. 3 Faith Christian in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament Friday in Denver, but couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net and succumbed 2-0.

Led by senior Brett Mufson, who was “brilliant” according to coach Grant “Junior” Sutherland, No. 14 Aspen played its finest soccer of the season, pinning Faith Christian in their own end with a relentless attack. And after, the Faith Christian coach conceded that Aspen deserved to advance, said Sutherland, who coaches Aspen with John Gillies.

“Faith’s backs were against the wall for 65 minutes of the game,” Sutherland said. “We just didn’t get the breaks we were looking for. It’s easier to accept when you play bad, but they played really, really well.”

Faith Christian scored in the 22nd minute off a corner kick, and then again on another set piece with four minutes remaining.

“The coach came up to me after and said, ‘You guys deserved to beat us.’ It’s the way soccer goes, but it’s tough too. I feel bad for the guys because they left everything on the field,” Sutherland said. “They dominated but they can’t take anything from it.”

Aspen concludes its season at 8-8-1. Meanwhile, Faith Christian, 12-2-1, advances to the state quarterfinals.

Recommended Stories For You

“Brett Mufson was brilliant,” Sutherland said. “He wanted it so bad and he took his game to another level. Unbelievable really, and that’s what makes it so tough to take.”